Government pressure on CBI to let Quattrocchi off the hook: Rajnath

September 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday alleged that high connections came to the rescue of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused of taking kickbacks in the purchase of Bofors guns, as the centre asked the Supreme Court to stop prosecution against him. Hinting at a larger design to bail him out, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters: Quattrocchi has high connections because of which he has always been saved.

July 26th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Sunday said the party would not leave its Hindutva agenda at any cost. "We are determined on following the Hindutva agenda.

May 16th, 2009 GHAZIABAD - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Saturday won from the Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency. He defeated his nearest rival, Surendra Prakash Goel of the Congress, by 91,153 votes.

May 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Wednesday expressed confidence that the party would get new allies and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by it would come to power at the centre. 'I'm fully confident that a BJP-led government will be formed at the centre.

May 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his statements on Bofors payoff suspect Ottavio Quattrocchi, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Amar Singh Monday said the party would not 'guarantee' Manmohan Singh occupying the top post again after the polls. Amar Singh also said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners would decide on a prime ministerial candidate after the Lok Sabha polls.

May 4th, 2009 GHAZIABAD - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Monday attacked the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government saying it had tried to divide Hindus and Muslims by constituting the Sachar Committee for counting their numbers. 'The UPA government initiated a head count (of the Muslims) in country, including in delicate and most sensitive defence forces, on the basis of religion, which was extremely dangerous to the country,' Rajnath said at a function organised by Ghaziabad Bar Association at Raj Nagar here.

May 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had 'damaged the institution of the PM' for saying that the case relating to Ottavio Quattrocchi was an 'embarrassment' to the Indian government. BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley told the CNN-IBN television channel that the 'case was damaged by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) under this government'.

April 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A lawyer Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to check the authenticity of media reports that the government had withdrawn the red corner notice against Ottavio Quatrocchi, fugitive in a number of cases related to the Bofors scandal. In his petition, lawyer Ajay Agarwal asked the apex court to issue directions to the central government to restore the red corner notice in case it has been withdrawn.

April 28th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani said here Tuesday that the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) decision to remove Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the lone surviving suspect in the Bofors gun payoff case, from its list of wanted persons reveals that the Congress was not confident of coming back to power.

April 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The CBI's decision to strike off Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, the lone surviving suspect in the Bofors gun payoff case, from its list of wanted persons sparked fresh controversy Tuesday with the BJP accusing the Congress of turning the investigating agency into the 'Congress Bureau of Investigation'. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Harsh Bahl said the agency would inform the special judge of a Delhi court, trying the 1987 case of the Rs.640 million payoff for the Swedish howitzer guns, of the decision during the next hearing on April 30.

April 28th, 2009 RAE BARELI - The Congress had put no pressure on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Bofors gun payoff case, Priyanka Gandhi said Tuesday as the party came under attack for Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi being dropped from the agency's wanted list. 'Congress has never put any pressure on CBI in the Bofors case,' Priyanka, who is campaigning for her mother Congress president Sonia Gandhi, told reporters here.

April 23rd, 2009 SURAT - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Thursday accused the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh of making personal attacks on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani.

April 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should take the help of the international community at the ongoing G20 summit to put pressure on Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Rajnath Singh said Thursday. Singh made the comments while referring to the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 170 people were killed, including 29 foreigners.

April 1st, 2009 RAIPUR - Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is 'politically and legally' supporting Varun Gandhi, party president Rajnath Singh said Wednesday that the Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were 'exploiting' the National Security Act (NSA) to harass him. 'What is happening with Varun Gandhi is unfortunate.

February 10th, 2009 MUMBAI - David Dhawan's 'Hook Ya Crook' seems to be going through a casting musical chair - first Irrfan Khan was replaced by Kay Kay Menon and then Uday Chopra opted out and was replaced by Shreyas Talpade. Now the latest casting glitch in 'Hook Ya Crook' is Aditya Pancholi.